Chief registrars are senior resident doctors and aspiring leaders who care deeply about improving the NHS and delivering better outcomes for patients, services and resident doctors. At a time when the NHS faces ever increasing pressures, the skills and motivation to lead change and engage others in continuous improvement are crucial for senior clinical leaders.
‘The role was one of, if not the most interesting year of my career to date! This year gave me a completely new understanding of how healthcare works and can be transformed in the UK, and I would thoroughly recommend it! I learnt so much and developed massively as a clinician and a leader during this year.’
Rob Conway
Chief Registrar 2024-25
What do chief registrars do?
Chief registrars work in clinical practice and have 40–50% of their time protected to develop, lead and support projects that focus on key local challenges and priorities, such as:
- Service improvement: Developing new services, redesigning pathways and introducing changes using QI methodology to improve outcomes for patients, teams and services.
- Engagement and morale: Providing a ‘bridge’ between resident doctors, senior clinical leaders and management, ensuring that resident doctors feel valued and supported, and that their voice is heard at the highest level.
- Education and training: Improving access to education and training opportunities, offering non-clinical training, mentoring other resident doctors in QI and supporting them to develop their own initiatives.
- Workforce: Improving resident doctors’ working conditions, introducing new posts, and coordinating workforce deployment.
- Sustainability: Improving efficiency, reducing waste and modifying processes to prevent duplication and unnecessary activities.
‘The training days have given me time and tools to reflect on my skills and personality and understand how I can use these to be more effective in my role.’
Susannah Long
Chief Registrar 2023/24
What are the benefits?
The chief registrar role is challenging and demanding. However, there are ample opportunities for personal and professional development and support, which help chief registrars to overcome any challenges they face.
- Flexible training: With 40–50% protected time for leadership and management development, chief registrars continue in clinical practice but have time and flexibility to focus on non-clinical personal and professional development – great preparation for life as a consultant.
- Learning from experience: Chief registrars gain knowledge and skills that are invaluable for future consultant and senior leadership positions and can put these into practice on the hospital shop floor.
- Mentoring and support: Mentorship from a local senior clinical leader and support from the RCP and peers ensures that chief registrars have ready access to advice and guidance to help them navigate complex NHS systems and achieve success in their projects.
- Networking: Chief registrars are the senior clinical leaders of the future. The close relationships and strong alumni community built through the RCP development programme is a valuable source of support and contacts as leadership careers develop. The programme also offers opportunities to meet national NHS and RCP leaders.
- Leadership profile: A visible role as a local leader ensures that chief registrars are recognised for their skills and abilities, have a platform to influence change, and gain insight into leadership and management processes within their organisation.
Chief registrars also benefit from the autonomy to focus on their own areas of interest, and the flexibility to manage their time appropriately to balance clinical and chief registrar commitments.
‘The programme has been hugely beneficial to me both personally and professionally. Being able to look introspectively to understand and reflect on what drives me has been invaluable for my development.’
Victoria Tay
Chief registrar 2023/24
RCP development programme
Chief registrars benefit from a bespoke leadership development programme delivered by the RCP.
- Five 2-day modules delivered between September 2025 – June 2026.
- Modules cover topics such as leadership, change management, team culture and development, QI methodology and navigating the NHS.
- Action learning sets for peer support.
- Mentorship from a local senior clinical leader.
- Support from the RCP and peers in the chief registrar network
- Speaking, networking and poster presentation opportunities.
How to apply
Getting a new NHS organisation on board
If you’d like to approach an NHS organisation about establishing a chief registrar role, please talk to your training programme director (TPD) in the first instance.
Then contact the organisation's medical director (or relevant deputy) and direct them to the information for recruiting organisations, where you can also find information to support a business case.
Please bear in mind that organisations run open and competitive recruitment processes. Therefore, there is a possibility your application may not be successful.
Reserve your place on the programme
If a trust has not completed recruitment, or hasn’t yet appointed to role, you can reserve a place on the programme via this registration form.This will secure a place on the programme until you are ready to formally apply.
Once the form is submitted, we will be in touch within 2 weeks to discuss next steps and ensure that you are prepared to formally apply.
Ready to apply?
If you have been successfully appointed in post and are ready to formally apply for the programme you can download and complete the application form. This must be signed and all fields completed before returning to chiefregistrar@rcp.ac.uk. Applications will not be accepted if any fields are incomplete, or it hasn’t been signed by a senior trust representative, e.g. medical director, the chief registrar applying and the locally appointed mentor. We will review the application and confirm appointment within two weeks of submission.
Read our frequently asked questions